The blues and bonuses of the bus

Albany, N.Y. – Bus routes around the Pine Hills are part of the lives of permanent residents of the neighborhood and of the temporary students who live here.

Students from the University at Albany who live in Alumni Quad rely heavily on the bus to get from the

(Caitlin Farrell)

midtown to main campus, more than two and a half miles west. Students from The College of Saint Rose have different bus needs since the college is situated in the heart of the city, and bus users frequently travel east, downtown to Picotte Hall. The college has a shuttle that goes down by Lark and State streets. Students also may ride certain CDTA city buses – the #4, #9, #10, #11, and #12 – free with their student IDs.

Alumni quad is a set of UAlbany dorms in the Pine Hills neighborhood on Partridge and Western, which houses many transfer, international, and continuing education students. Different buses are available to students so that they can get around Albany easily, according to Karl Luntta, director of media relations at the university.

“Parking here would also be such a struggle everyday,” said Hannah O’Neil-McGovern, an elementary education major at UAlbany. “It’s nice to have an easy way to get a ride.”

Because she volunteers at a day care on Washington Avenue, free access to the #12 bus comes in handy. O’Neil-McGovern is one of many students who uses the #11 to get to the uptown campus.

The unmistakable “purple and white” university buses run along Western Avenue Monday through Friday to bring students from one area of the campus to the other. Along with the transportation provided by the school, students may use their IDs for rides on the #10, #11, #12, #55x, and #90 city buses.

Graduate students at UAlbany have the same experiences as undergraduates when it comes to the bus. Yemi Jalloh is an international student in his first year of graduate studies at UAlbany. Jalloh said that the buses have become part of his everyday life, not only to get to classes, but also to go to the store and to other places around Albany. He is a public health graduate student and spends a lot of time in the library . The combined access to university and CDTA buses makes it easier for him to come and go when he pleases.

A resident of Alumni Quad, Joe Woods, leaves 30 minutes before he needs to be in class just to make sure that he can get to his uptown classes. Even though he finds the bus crowded and not to his liking, Woods knows it’s necessary because of the satellite location of his dorm from the main campus. Woods enjoys when he can meet someone interesting along the way, and he never fails to have something to talk about with his friends about what he saw on the bus that day.

“It’s not as bad as one thinks,” said Woods. “It’s just the time you have to put into it.” -30-